NO90DEER HUNTER

CIMINO/OJASOO/SEMPER

Michael Cimino’s film "The Deer Hunter" premiered in 1978. It describes
the life of the steelworkers in a small town in Pennsylvania, their
wartime activities in Vietnamand return home. A group of friends
enjoy the last moments at home before three of them - Mike, Nick and
Steven – head for the war in Vietnam. They go deer hunting in the
mountains and party at Steven’s wedding. In Vietnam the friends are
captured, tortured and forced to play the Russian roulette.
Miraculously, they manage to escape, but the war has left its mark on
all of them. Nick stays in Vietnam, but Mike and Steven head back home
where Nick’s beloved Linda is waiting. None of them, however, is the
same person as before.

"The Deer Hunter" was one of the first films that examined the war in Vietnam.Instead
of a monumental war film, this is critical, sad and personal. The film
does not tackle large processes but examines what happens to friendship,
how love changes and where to find freedom.

This was Michael
Cimino’s second full-length feature film that won the best film Oscar
besides a number of nominations. Among others, a supporting role award
went to Christopher Walken (Nick) and Robert de Niro (Mike) was
nominated for the best male actor award. Before shooting the film, de
Niro lived and worked with the steelworkers; afterwards he named this
“physically the most punishing” film in his career. Other actors excel
as well: John Savage (Steven), Meryl Streep (Linda) and John Cazale
(Stanley), for whom this was the last film.

"The Deer Hunter" is directed by Tiit Ojasoo, artist-director is Ene-Liis Semper.Cast from theatre NO99. Premiere was October 2006.